Did you?

[Guest guest]

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This is an interesting article and a concise outline of the need for empiric

data. I hope that this will encourage researchers to delineate what parents

like myself have observed from watching our children's progress. The

teaching procedures commonly referred to as " VB " are effective!

I also hope that outcome measures will not focus solely on %of children who

become " indistinguishable " . While this is an important measure, there are

many children whose progress is significant and highly functional but will

likely never approach indistinguishable.

Some outcome measures which should be considered:

Reduction in percentage of day engaging in problem behavior

Independence in self help skills (dressing, feeding, toileting etc)

Ability to communicate basic needs and want (food, sleep, recreation and

leisure)

Ability to participate in family and community activities with/without

support

Our daughter will likely never be indistinguishable, but, she can go to

Sicily's buffet with our family, sit in a chair, ask for more pizza and

money to ride the " Arthur " ride and the purple dinosaur. She can ask to play

outside, go to the pool and " where is her mommy? " when I am at work. She can

dress herself and is almost independent with toileting. This is an amazing

" outcome "

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Hey did you get the read the article by Carr and Firth in the

last issue of JEIBI? I think that they raise some very

interesting issues about VB research.... If interested in

starting a VB program you should check it out at

www.behavior-analyst-online.org

Joe

P.S. I am some others currently have replies to this article

in review....